


Please Remove Your Bags

by Arisprite



Series: Here In These Strangest Dreams [2]
Category: xxxHoLic
Genre: Bickering, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Japanese self check outs probably don't sound like they do in the us, Post "An Odd Dream", Watanuki adjusts to being able to leave the shop, day in the life, literally nothing happens, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 12:57:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12653964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arisprite/pseuds/Arisprite
Summary: Now that Watanuki could leave the shop, grocery trips were the highlight of his day. Doumeki was along to carry the bags, of course.Takes place after the events of An Odd Dream





	Please Remove Your Bags

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write _something_ to combat months-long writer's block...

It was weeks after the whole debacle with their alternate selves from another - happier - world. Maybe months, it was hard to say. Watanuki, as ever, continued. That was what he _meant_. Wishes were granted, prices were paid, and life went ever on and on. 

Yet, things had changed. 

Watanuki seized the opportunity to do his own shopping with a fervor. Never would he had thought that the most intense joy he’d felt in a long while would have come from picking his own produce, but such was his life. He dragged Doumeki along, most times, ostensibly to carry his groceries. 

There was another change. The man was still present in his life, but it was both far less regular, and far more prevalent. Watanuki called him more often, no longer expecting him each evening with the regular load. Now Watanuki had to reach. Invite. It was strange. 

The shop wasn’t his cage and tomb anymore, and he wanted to go places. Could go places. But, something in him didn’t want to go alone, and he had a sad lack of friends. 

That could have been the only reason. 

Watanuki swore, and jabbed at a button on the weird screen. Or he hoped he did - it was all just smooth glass regardless. The draw of ‘self check out’, saving him the chance of looking into a cashier’s face and realizing any wishes, was being severely undermined by the impossibility of getting his items through the system without the passive aggressive computer voice letting him know all the things he did wrong. 

“Stupid, technology, buttons don’t work, argh!” Watanuki muttered under his breath, until a large brown hand removed the card from his hand, and neatly plugged in the correct information. Doumeki did this without a pause, and Watanuki huffed, and folded his arms, missing his silks and robes (they drew too much attention, and so he was simply wearing a soft sweater and trousers and he felt _naked_ ). 

“I could have done that!” Watanuki snapped, and Doumeki shifted to side eye him. 

“Mhm,” he said, sliding the rest of Watanuki’s groceries through, and typing in his produce. 

“It’s all different now!” Watanuki glanced around - even the stores, his sanctuary, had been updated with self scanners, and moving advertisements. 

“Groceries are the same,” Doumeki said, and Watanuki made yet another frustrated noise, and moved around Doumeki to being loading the groceries into his bags. Okay, so the world was the same, but also far more different than he expected. After ten years inside a magical shop, everything was fast and loud and phones held everything you could ever want. It was all strange and overwhelming, and so it was much easier to bring Doumeki along, simply to navigate for him. 

Not that he’d admit that!

Once Doumeki was done, he and Watanuki both lifted a stuffed canvas bag each. 

“Was that everything?” Doumeki asked, mild as ever. He’d been the same and different since the whole thing too - his shoulders had a new ease, like he was no longer carrying a weight. Watanuki was glad that other Kimihiro had come, just for that. Watanuki sniffed, considering. He did need to pick up some books he’d heard about from a spirit, but the errand could wait until they didn’t have spoiling food in their arms. 

“Yes. Let’s get this back to the shop before the octopus gets too warm.” 

Doumeki nodded, and started off, and Watanuki followed.


End file.
